Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800

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By John N. Miksic

Winner - Singapore History Prize 2018

Shortlist - ICAS Book Prize 2015 for the Best Study in the Humanities.

Beneath the modern skyscrapers of Singapore lie the remains of a much older trading port, prosperous and cosmopolitan and a key node in the maritime Silk Road. This book synthesizes 25 years of archaeological research to reconstruct the 14th-century port of Singapore in greater detail than is possible for any other early Southeast Asian city.

The picture that emerges is of a port where people processed raw materials, used money, and had specialized occupations. Within its defensive wall, the city was well organized and prosperous, with a cosmopolitan population that included residents from China, other parts of Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Fully illustrated, with more than 300 maps and colour photos, Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea presents Singapore's history in the context of Asia's long-distance maritime trade in the years between 1300 and 1800: it amounts to a dramatic new understanding of Singapore's pre-colonial past.

"...an important study for future generations of Singaporeans, Southeast Asian historians and archaeologists, Miksic's commitment in uncovering archaeological evidence has allowed him to prove beyond doubt that ancient Singapore served as one of the most important maritime centres in the region."Mohamed Effendy, National University of Singapore

"John Miksic's Singapore & the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800 is a must-have for anyone interested in history, archaeology, social and cultural anthropology of Singapore and Southeast Asia as a whole." Anton O. Zakharov

“a splendid new book...” Banyan, The Economist

John N. Miksic is Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. He was the first Head of the Archaeology unit, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Center at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. His other works published by NUS Press include Philippine Ancestral Gold and Earthenware in Southeast Asia.